In the past few months, our lives have taken an unexpected turn. And while some are struggling to adapt to all the drastic changes, a few unexpected perks managed to delight online poker players.
Since people were forced to stay indoors, they automatically turned to the internet in search of original entertainment sources. And not surprisingly, poker operators saw this as an opportunity to appeal to new, potential players. By offering lucrative poker welcome bonuses and hosting prestigious live tournaments, gambling venues gained popularity.
Rather quickly, people began to see gambling as a charming distraction from real life, whether it included self-imposed isolation or mandatory quarantine. Therefore, the number of people who played poker online rose exponentially. Now, the numbers are in, and we can see exactly how online poker has changed.
Online Gambling Numbers 2020
The interest in poker has increased all around the world, as stats will show. In the UK, various gambling platforms reported that they saw a rise of up to 92% in the games’ popularity.
In addition to that, experts chose to analyze Google searches, and they’ve come to interesting conclusions. According to reports, the number of people who searched for instructions on how to play poker increased by 200%. The same thing goes for searches about Texas Hold’em, which saw a rise of 292% amongst the British population.
But Great Britain is not the only place where poker is blossoming online. Multiple gambling venues in the US say they’ve experienced a 60% spike in activity since COVID-19 started spreading.
And most importantly, it seems that online tournaments have never been this popular. Some of the most favorite competitions, held regularly in popular online casinos, doubled or tripled the number of entrants. Why’s that so important? Well, the more people take part in a tournament, the bigger the prize and the attraction.
Those are only a few examples of how online poker gained momentum in recent months, but there is so much more to be said about this subject!
In Conclusion
While experts knew that online gambling might become more popular due to the fast-spreading COVID-19, no one could anticipate how big the change will be. But now, we have the data to support any previous predictions.
Lastly, the only question that remains is whether online poker will keep drawing that much attention even when land-based venues will open. We’ll wait and see!